Several months ago I made the decision to start an exercise program and do it every day. Going from sitting at a desk for the day job to sitting at a desk at night to write was wrecking my back, not to mention promoting a spread I’d just as soon avoid. Plus my muscles were stiff and I was beginning to have issues with my shoulders and back.

For me, a combination of yoga, aerobic and core exercises worked the best. I haven’t lost a lot of weight but I’ve honed off inches. The best part of all is that I feel stronger, my clothes fit better and I no longer have those old aches and pains.

Exercising every day isn’t always feasible, so I adopted some mini sessions I can do at work at my desk, either at a long break or done in short bursts. I’ve found that I’ll often do them just to ease stress and loosen my muscles.

Here are my five favorites.

• Sitting straight in your chair:
• Try to touch your shoulder blades together. Feel the pull as you hold for ten seconds, relax and repeat five times.
• Facing forward, do a slow twist by turning your head to the right and your torso to the left. Hold for ten seconds, relax and repeat five times.
• Sit tall and stretch both arms skyward. Hold for ten seconds, then extend the left hand higher, then the right. Relax, then repeat.
• Do the butt clench. Again, sitting, tighten your buttocks, hold for ten seconds, relax, then repeat ten times.
• Ten second ab squeezes. Just like the butt clench, but you tighten your stomach muscles. Suck in the gut, hold for ten seconds, relax and repeat ten times.

These are super easy and can be done at least once a day on the job.

So tell me do you have any mini exercises you do to ease stress and tone? How about your workout sessions? What’s the one exercise that you do faithfully?

I’m one of those people who want the window seat on a plane so I can get that bird’s eye view of the land, cities, and bodies of water we’re flying over.  But I haven’t done that much flying at night, or when I did, I had an aisle seat.

So on my last flight to Alabama for a combination writers’ mini retreat and Heart of Dixie Christmas party, I made sure I booked window seats going and coming.  And am I ever glad I did.

While in Alabama, I took a lovely walking tour with friend Lynn Raye Harris and her family through the historic district of Decatur.  The interiors of the old homes ranged from exquisitely decorated to a bit of a cluster of decorations, but the majority of the exteriors were done extremely well using live pine boughs, holly and fruit.

But I’ve also grown up watching the lavish display put on by elite retailers.   Anyone who’s been to The Plaza in Kansas City, MO during the holidays knows what I mean.   Their annual lighting ceremony at Thanksgiving kicks off the Holiday shopping.

I had an ungodly five-thirty am flight and it was dark when we took off and cloudy most of the flight, so I feared I wouldn’t get to see anything.  But the lights that were still on that time of morning glowed through the clouds, creating colored puffs of cotton.

Thanks to clear skies on the return flight, I got to see the neighborhoods and parks decorated as well in far better detail.  It brought back memories of my folks driving through neighborhoods in town to see the pretty displays.  While I missed sharing this moment from above with anyone, it was without a doubt the best way to view Christmas lights and displays.

So though I often grouse about the lines in stores and the commercialism of the holiday, flying above the glow of towns and cities is a bit enchanting.

Do you have any special displays you put up  each year or places or events you visit?  What’s the most beautiful display you’ve seen?  How about the worst?

I did something this year I swore I wouldn’t do again. I hit the stores Thanksgiving night for the pre-Black Friday (Black Thursday) sales.

Oh. My. God. If you are short (like moi) you’d better go in prepared to fight for what you want. I used to think they called it Black Friday because the stores made their years profit that day. Ha! They call it that because the shoppers are bruised when it’s over.

The seemingly sane people you’ve been conversing with for hours while you wait will turn into fang bearing creatures with a hunger for the thirty (or less or more) items up for the huge sale. However I am proud to say I was determined and stood my ground (thanks to the help of one brave soldier who gave me a hand, as in pulling me out of the bottom of the pile with arms laden with stuff.)

Will I do it again? Uh, no.

But then I’ve said those words before. What about you? Did you power shop on the mega sale weekend? Fight the crowds or play it sane and order it all online?

The winner of my giveaway is Laurie G. Laurie, email me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com and let me know which book you’d like in my Presents backlist. You can view the list on my website.

I’m a sucker for family dramas with all the angst and heartache and family secrets just waiting to be revealed.  Though there have been several noted TV dramas with continuing episodes (anyone remember Dallas, Dynasty?) that give you the same sense of urgency, nothing compares to the lush detail found in books.

Harlequin has been awesome about fulfilling this need with various continuity series, but for me none are as dramatic as the ones done by Harlequin Presents.  So I was thrilled to be asked to participate in their latest series, The Notorious Wolfes (or Bad Blood as it was known in the UK.)

Here’s the trailer to wet your reading appetite.

Wealth.  Privilege. Beauty.   Having that handed to you should open doors. Make life easier.  But it rarely does for a variety of reasons.

In the Trophy Wife, Rafael was born into a rich, powerful dynasty  yet cruelly denied his paternity from birth.  Instead of the wealth due him, he was forced to dwell in poverty.  Instead of having doors instantly open for him, they were slammed in his face.

Rafael de Souza is a Wolfe by blood, yet carries his mother’s name.  Her shame of succumbing to one night with her rich powerful employer is his own cross to bear.

As a boy, Rafael only wanted to be accepted.  To be loved.  He didn’t know what went on behind the closed doors of Wolfe Manor.  He only knew he was horribly lonely, the unwanted one.

Thanks to the largess of one brother, Rafael used his wits and clawed his way to the top.  He became a rich powerful man in his own right.

Rafael earned and commanded respect.  But inside he was still the boy at the back of the fence, aching with loneliness.  Until he met beautiful super model Leila Santiago.

They say money can’t by happiness, and it was true for Rafael and Leila.  They had everything at their fingertips.  Fame, wealth and a glorious future ahead of them.

So how could something so perfect as marrying the love of his life ever be shaken?  How could he suddenly find himself on the brink of losing the one person he loved beyond reason?  How could he reclaim the passion, and the love to last an eternity?

I hope you enjoy reading Rafael’s and Leila’s turbulent journey to love and happiness as much as I enjoyed writing it.

What about you?  Do you like family dramas or continuing series?  What are your favorite family drama series?  I’ll give away the winner’s choice of one of my Harlequin Presents back titles to one commenter.

The winner of Katy Madison’s giveaway is catslady.    Congrats!   Catslady, please contact Katy with your full name and mailing address.

Thanks again to Katy Madison for blogging with us, and thanks to all who commented.

Thanks to Jaunty Quills for inviting me to guest blog!

If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have told you I don’t write fairy tales. I am a self-described hardcore realist. I like to develop true to life characters who deal with their problems in authentic ways. Besides that, modern fairy tales have been Disneyfied and sanitized. I prefer when the woodcutter has to kill Little Red Riding Hood’s wolf with an ax. I enjoy it much more when the first two little pigs get eaten instead of running to the third’s and sheltering in his solid brick house. I like the Hansel and Gretel who shove the witch into the oven and cook her as she intended to do to them.

Watching characters struggle to achieve their happily ever after is more fun. I want to know that they have faced adversity and conquered wolves and monsters to grow strong enough to weather future challenges. I don’t like a prince swooping in to rescue a girl and solve all her problems with a magical kiss, because it is never that simple, nor does that type of ending satisfy.

But then I got a review saying my latest story is a Cinderfella story. As I got to thinking about it, I realized it was true. My hero Jack has big dreams and no way of getting there, until fate strikes, not with a pumpkin carriage or mice that turn into livered footmen, nor a fairy godmother with a wand, but with a combination of events that seem like the worst possible things that could happen to him.

He forged ahead determined to get back on track in spite of the boulders cast in his path. And if he could convince Caroline to go along with him, so much the better. Certainly the way he got to his Happily Ever After was not how he expected or wanted it to happen. But I do write romance, so he was bound to get there. However, it was a stretch to believe a working class man could become the prince Caroline needed to help her defeat the wicked villain. And if ever a heroine needed rescuing, Caroline did. But I also wanted her to grow strong enough to stand up for herself. She also had to learn to fight the monsters, while opening herself up to Jack. In the end they both had to trust that love would win out and believe in each other. So I guess I do write fairy tales in a dark and twisted sort of way.

So how do you like your fairy tales? Dark and Twisted, or Light and Fluffy? One commenter will win a copy ALL ABOUT SEDUCTION, my gothic historical romance from Avon.

The winner of the giveaway by Lynn Raye Harris is Rebe! Congrats. Rebe please send your full name and mailing address to Lynne Ray Harris.

Everyone, I’m sneaking this in on top of Emily’s blog today, so please scroll down to the next blog and read about the other Emily.

It’s thrilling and a little intimidating to be invited to blog at the Jaunty Quills! The women here are some of the most exciting names in romance fiction, and I’m honored to be here today. Hope I don’t mess it up!

First, I’ll wow you with a fab book video (and it is fab because Harlequin made it and I had nothing to do with it).

I hope you found that sufficiently intriguing to want to know more about those Notorious Wolfes! What happened to tear their family apart? What are the scandals and secrets of the past?

My book (fifth in the series) is out this month. THE MAN WITH THE MONEY tells the story of Jack Wolfe. Jack is a loner, a renegade, a financial whiz. Whether it’s cards or the markets, Jack takes risks – and wins. When he finds himself in a high stakes card game in the south of France, he hardly expects that he’ll soon be racing across Europe with the lovely dealer whose job it was to throw the game.

Cara Taylor is tough, independent, and determined. She has family obligations, and she works hard to send money back home to New Orleans. But when her boss asks her to cheat, that’s the one thing she cannot do. Instead, she ends up fleeing Nice with Jack Wolfe.

Jack is a card shark, a gambler, not at all the sort of man she should get involved with. He’s a risk taker, a daredevil—and she can’t quite resist him. From a casino in the Cote d’Azur to the glittering streets of London, the sultry heat of New Orleans, and the bright neon lights of Las Vegas, Cara and Jack sizzle across the pages as they grapple with the Wolfe legacy and their own demons.

Back cover:

Jack…Red-Hot. Renegade. Restless.
Notorious gambler Jack no longer gets a buzz from the risks he takes at the card table. In fact it bores him. Until one night he wins more than he ever bargained for…

His prize is stunning Cara Taylor – she might be down on her luck but she certainly doesn’t need rescuing by a card-shark like Jack! Now she’s stuck with him she doesn’t know whether to love him or loathe him.

I hope you enjoy reading about Jack and Cara! For a red-hot excerpt, click here. RT Book Reviews magazine gave this story 4 Stars and said it has, “intense emotional turmoil, a tortured hero and toe-curling intimate encounters.” Rawr!

Today, I’ll give away a signed copy of the book to one lucky commenter!

Lynn Raye Harris is a USA Today bestselling author who writes glamorous, sexy romance for Harlequin Presents. You can learn more about Lynn and her books at http://www.lynnrayeharris.com/. You can also follow Lynn on Twitter @LynnRayeHarris or visit her author page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLynnRayeHarris

My trusty random number generator picked two winners. Molly gets her choice of an authographed copy of A Cowboy Christmas or In a Cowboy’s Arms. Jan S wins either an I “heart” Cowboys cap or T-shirt.

Please send your choice of prize along with your full name and mailing address to me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com

Thanks everyone for celebrating today with me!